Tick Boot Camp Episode 353: The Lyme Rebel - an interview with Professor Eva Sapi
This week on Tick Boot Camp, we're thrilled to welcome Dr. Eva Sapi, an internationally recognized Lyme disease expert. Join us as we discuss her groundbreaking work, her personal journey with Lyme disease, and her unwavering commitment to finding better treatments for this debilitating illness.
Dr. Sapi is the Coordinator of M.S. Cellular & Molecular Biology and a professor at the University of New Haven. After contracting Lyme disease herself, she shifted her research focus from breast cancer to Lyme disease. As the director of the university's Lyme Disease Research Program, Dr. Sapi has trained over 100 graduate students and authored 70 peer-reviewed scientific papers. She was the first to discover the presence of Borrelia biofilm in human-infected skin tissue, a finding that has shaped our understanding of Lyme disease.
In this interview, we discuss:
- Dr. Sapi's personal battle with Lyme disease
- The significance of Borrelia biofilm in Lyme disease treatment
- The ongoing collaboration with Dr. James Goldman from Columbia University on a case of a woman who received 16 years of antibiotic therapy but still succumbed to Lyme disease
- Her recent breakthrough on the potential of liquid, whole-leaf stevia extract in reducing biofilm mass
- The ultimate goal of identifying novel antibacterial agents effective against all forms of Borrelia
- Dr. Sapi's recognition as a research trailblazer by LymeDisease.org and her Courage Award from Lyme Connection of Ridgefield
If you'd like to learn more about Dr. Sapi's remarkable journey, her passion for Lyme disease research, and her unwavering commitment to finding a cure, tune in now!